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Chip Johnson's farewell: It’s been a good run
Chip Johnson's farewell: It’s been a good run
By Chip Johnson
This ain’t no April Foolin’ around: This is my last column for The Chronicle. After more than 18 years of covering Oakland, I’ve made the decision to move back to my hometown: Oberlin, Ohio. -
MORE BY CHIP JOHNSON: Superintendent gets schooled
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Oakland’s not playing about reviving blighted park
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Oakland’s unspoken good news: Homicide rate is way down
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Bay Area housing crisis fueled by greed, study finds
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6:11 PM
Former East Bay youth sports treasurer suspected of embezzlement
6:11 PM
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5:59 PM
Bio-engineered fish are target of lawsuit
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6:14 PM
MTA pulls commuter shuttle permit from Bauer’s bus company
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Judge says ‘No’ to seeking legalize prostitution in California
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Father says pickpocket targeted him on Muni bus as he held child
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Hall of Famer Hubie Brown marvels at Warriors’ dream season
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4:24 PM
San Francisco’s HackerOne to run 'Hack the Pentagon' pilot
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New set of SF cops implicated in racist and homophobic texts
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Kaepernick still with 49ers as contract deadline passes
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Suspected burglar fleeing cops crashes and causes BART delays
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More products to be added to Assembly ‘tampon tax’ bill
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Police: Trooper, suspect die in bus station shooting; 2 hurt
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Veteran Miami officer named police chief in Ferguson
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Trump’s abortion stumble unnerves many Republicans
JOE GAROFOLI: Donald Trump’s latest remark didn’t just offend liberals, it reinforced to many Republicans that the novice politician isn’t prepared to be the party’s nominee, let alone leader of the ...
One day, one place: The Mokelumne River
TRAVEL: The tame, twisty stretch of the Lower Mokelumne between the Camanche Dam and Lodi Lake easily offers enough diversions (unexpected and otherwise) to fill a day in and around Lodi.
The Chronicle’s 2016 Rising Star Chefs
The goal for Rising Stars is simple: Find young chefs who are making delicious food and will show us where the industry is going. Forget dinner and a show — here, dinner is the show.
Oakland coal dustup grows: What will Brown do?
The developer behind a plan to ship coal from Oakland’s port is a longtime friend and supporter of Gov. Jerry Brown, who has emerged over the past year as a leader in the fight against climate change.
Legislature passes $15 minimum wage bill
SACRAMENTO — The state Legislature passed a bill to raise the minimum wage throughout California to $15 an hour by 2022 in a mostly partisan vote.The measure was approved by both the Assembly and Senate ...
Ronn Owens leaving KGO for KSFO
After 40 years as the master of the morning at KGO-AM, Ronn Owens is moving to an afternoon slot on sister station KSFO Hot Talk radio, 560 AM.
Postmates offering subscription service for one-hour deliveries
Are people more willing to pony up a subscription fee than pay one-time charges for quick deliveries? Now San Francisco’s Postmates is rolling out a subscription offer called Postmates Plus Unlimited.
When Reagan survived assassination attempt
CHRONICLE COVERS: Sixty-nine days into a new presidency, six shots rang out.The Chronicle’s front page from March 31, 1981, covers the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan and the wounding of ...
SFChronicle.com Exclusive
Second Street's first-rate charms
John King says this area truly captures the 21st century vibe of downtown S.F. at its best.
U.S. women’s soccer: The equal pay fight will be won
BRUCE JENKINS: When it was announced Thursday that the U.S. players filed a wage-discrimination suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, the only proper reaction was shock.
Warriors rally to top Utah in OT, get win No. 68
Midway through the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry spent most of a timeout staring quizzically at a scoreboard at Vivint Smart Home Arena. His puzzlement came from the numbers, which indicated the Warriors ...
Shaw sets up Stanford for possible volleyball title
If ever there was an athlete bound to play for Stanford, it was James Shaw. He’s been hanging around the volleyball courts on the Farm since he was a toddler.
Bochy’s Giants back from Arizona, looking for a smoother ride
Bruce Bochy was at Raley Field for the first time since 2001, when he was so banged up from a motorcycle accident that he had to manage his Padres from the clubhouse beyond the center-field wall.
LPGA, Ko need dose of star power
RON KROICHICK: Remember Michelle Wie ? Tall, famous, pretty good golfer. Whatever happened to her, anyway?
Jurgen Klinsmann still has much to prove
ANN KILLION: Jurgen Klinsmann has lost the faith of many, both as a coach and a technical director.
Anticipating best whitewater-rafting season since 2011
TOM STIENSTRA: On the South Fork American River last weekend, 75 rafters and kayakers launched the spring white-water season with a 13-mile trip from Lotus to Folsom Reservoir.
Restoration Hardware’s stock decline signals big trouble
THOMAS LEE: There’s nothing subtle about home furnishings retailer Restoration Hardware: lavish galleries, a radical new membership program, ambitious plans to expand into apparel and restaurants.
Yahoo makes it harder for investors to launch proxy battles
Yahoo is making it harder for activist investors to launch proxy battles in the future.
Dungeness crab finally arrives at S.F. docks
Seaworn crabbers began hitting the docks at Fisherman’s Wharf on Wednesday evening, their boats crawling with spindly hard-shelled Dungeness doomed to a future going down the gullets of hungry seafood ...
Deputies’ revised reports raises lawyer’s questions
New allegations in the case involving two Alameda County sheriff’s deputies filmed beating a defenseless man in a San Francisco alley are prompting questions about why the deputies were allowed to alter ...
Prop. 50 would let legislators harshly punish colleagues
Proposition 50, the lone measure on the June primary ballot, would give both the state Senate and the Assembly the ability to suspend a member without pay, closing an embarrassing gap in the ...
Mothers hold ‘nurse-in’ to protest SF breast-feeding clash
Fifteen nursing moms did what 15 nursing moms do on Wednesday in San Francisco, and one of them even got an official apology for being hassled for having done it.
Robert Mapplethorpe, almost revealed, in HBO film
DAVID WIEGAND: Robert Mapplethorpe was controversial when he was alive, and has remained so ever since, despite the fact that the art world has long acknowledged his stature, his original prints have ...
Don Cheadle plays his lifelong hero, Miles Davis
PARK CITY, Utah — Don Cheadle has been living with Miles Davis for most of his 51 years. He was 10 the first time he remembers hearing the jazz trumpeter. The record Davis’ interpretation of George ...
‘Frankenstein’ and 4 premieres on tap for SF Ballet 2017
Four world premieres, a George Balanchine evening and a full-length recounting of the “Frankenstein” story will be among the highlights of the San Francisco Ballet’s 2017 season, which begins with a ...
Palatial Craftsman ideally located in Lafayette’s Happy Valley
WALK-THROUGH: Four brick chimneys and six dormer windows rise from the roof of this palatial Craftsman in Lafayette’s Happy Valley.
Commis in Oakland now simply stunning
MICHAEL BAUER: From start to finish, dinner incorporated a casual, understated elegance. While I may be a little late to the party, I now join in to celebrate what is clearly Oakland’s best restaurant.
How is climate change affecting the wines of the world?
ESTHER MOBLEY: Has global warming been improving the wines of France over the last few decades? That’s part of the claim being made by a new study by NASA and Harvard University.
How #tartsdefeybesse became a viral business
“Word of mouth and word of mouth only.” That was Monique Feybesse’s caption on a recent Instagram picture of a picnic table full of pastry boxes.
Starboard’s highbrow hofbrau fare lures late-night diners
DRINK UP: "We asked ourselves,'What does San Francisco need?' " says Starboard’s owner, Daniel Hyatt."“And having more late-night options was crucial."
Feinstein: Clinton wasn’t in Senate long enough to do more
It was a straight up question that Sen. Dianne Feinstein admitted she wasn’t expecting when she came to The Chronicle Tuesday to pitch her new California water plan.
Rodarte to be honored by Academy of Art this spring
TRENDING: Rodarte in S.F.: Big San Francisco fashion news hit the socialsphere today via author and fashion collector Christine Suppes’ Facebook feed.
Marin mom tries two runway beauty looks
MAKEUP: Twice a year I go backstage at New York Fashion Week to report on emerging beauty trends seen on young, beautiful models. Sure, the looks are stunning, but are they viable for the average woman? We ...
Leo’s Oyster Bar a polished pearl of design
When setting the stage at her and husband James Nicholas’ newest restaurant, Anna Weinberg had two contrasting pop culture references in mind: "Mad Men" and "The Golden Girls."
Online haters gonna hate
TONY BRAVO: One morning before the Super Bowl, I was in bed scrolling through Twitter when I noticed a video had been repeatedly sent out with my account mentioned. I hit play and was jolted awake.
Trump craziness escalates
EDITORIAL: The epically undisciplined Donald Trump campaign can’t seem to escape a single news cycle without flip-flopping a position or committing an act of fatuity.
An unsolved encryption fight
EDITORIAL: Neither Apple nor the FBI looks good after a showdown over encryption, privacy and government power.
Photos of the Week: March 21-27
This week Chronicle photographers brought us the lives of those in tiny homes, fun at the Bring Your Own Big Wheel race and as always, a little Warriors joy.
Nurse walks the Tenderloin giving comfort to the dying
THE REGULARS: Maurice Ruark is a man of constant motion through the Tenderloin District, the sidewalks of which he has walked for 27 years as a registered nurse for Hospice by the Bay.
When Dow’s spike broke the front page
CHRONICLE COVERS: Want to see a design gimmick that reaches new heights? Just follow the money. The Chronicle’s cover from March 30, 1999, covers the Dow Jones industrial average’s climb above the ...
Nixon’s futuristic BART ride: ‘It does look like NASA’
PETER HARTLAUB: Bay Area Rapid Transit is now seen, by BART’s own definition, as an aging transit system at the end of its useful life, but there was a time when the rail line was the future.
Tourists vs. travelers: What’s the real difference?
SPUD HILTON: The conversation started the way it had a few hundred times before. Cuba was on the TV news again for the latest U.S. move to end the long-pointless embargo, and the young, earnest backpacker ...
Park centennial spurs lava tube tours in Hawaii
It takes a special kind of traveler to love a place that’s older than all the cathedrals in Europe (combined), but has absolutely no art and no scenery. And a lousy food scene. But fans of lava tube ...
Legislature passes $15 minimum wage bill
SACRAMENTO — The state Legislature passed a bill to raise the minimum wage throughout California to $15 an hour by 2022 in a mostly partisan vote.The measure was approved by both the Assembly and Senate ...
Ronn Owens leaving KGO for KSFO
After 40 years as the master of the morning at KGO-AM, Ronn Owens is moving to an afternoon slot on sister station KSFO Hot Talk radio, 560 AM.
Postmates offering subscription service for one-hour deliveries
Are people more willing to pony up a subscription fee than pay one-time charges for quick deliveries? Now San Francisco’s Postmates is rolling out a subscription offer called Postmates Plus Unlimited.
When Reagan survived assassination attempt
CHRONICLE COVERS: Sixty-nine days into a new presidency, six shots rang out.The Chronicle’s front page from March 31, 1981, covers the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan and the wounding of ...
Special Report: The Forgotten Survivors of AIDS
"Last Men Standing" is a special report on the tens of thousands of people in San Francisco and across the U.S. who outlived one of the nation’s worst public health crises.
A tribute to the wit of Chronicle cartoonist Phil Frank
Finding humor and rampant absurdity in S.F. civic life was never a struggle for cartoonist Phil Frank. As his alter ego Farley, he found endless opportunities to lampoon contemporary urban life during the ...
With Bill Clinton event coming to Cal, UC caves to union demand
MATIER & ROSS: With labor threatening a picket line this week around Bill Clinton’s big student gathering, the university agreed to spend millions to hire contract and part-time workers as full-time ...
Chase Adam, Visionary of the Year, fixing health funding problem
When 29-year-old Chase Adam first thought to start a crowdfunding platform for health care, he was mystified one didn’t already exist.
Featured Columnists
Bernie Sanders barks and runs along the campaign trail
Columnist/editorial cartoonist Ted Rall , whose new cartoon book is “Bernie,” said in Berkeley last week that he had gotten to spend quite a bit of time with Bernie Sanders while doing research for the book. Gar Smith , who was at a book event for Rall, says that when he was asked about ...
Pension madness: East Bay bureaucrat lines up $500,000 annually
Alameda County’s top bureaucrat must be a hard worker because, it seems, she never takes a vacation. In return, when she retires, she’s going to be pulling down a pension that tops half a million dollars a year. It’s not that County Administrator Susan Muranishi isn’t entitled to a ...
Saying farewell to Gracie, a columnist’s most faithful friend
Sixteen years ago, when my daughter and I went to an animal shelter in the East Bay, I felt the need to deliver a stern lecture. We’re not a pet rescue foundation, I said. We’re not taking on a project dog with problems. We are going to be ruthlessly selective. And we’re not falling ...
Lord Stanley soars to new heights on Russian Hill
When I initially reviewed Lord Stanley in August, it was apparent that all the elements were in place to take the food to the top of the star chart. The restaurant, run by the husband-and-wife team of Carrie and Rupert Blease, ended up garnering 2½ stars for food in that ...
Warriors: Playoffs, Olympics could make for endless season
The Warriors are tired. There’s no doubt about that. They are trying to slog through the final stretch, dragging after playing eight games in 14 days. Nine games to go in the regular season. And then come the playoffs, which could last a full two months. ...
Starboard’s highbrow hofbrau fare lures late-night diners
The scene: 2 a.m., Friday night, the Mission. The bars have closed. Revelers spill onto the sidewalk, forced outside by the harsh last-call lighting. Along 16th Street, some people are piling into Lyfts; others linger, hoping to keep the night alive. Hunger seizes you. Dinner feels like a ...
Ask Mick LaSalle: How does trash make more money than...
Hi Mick: Just saw “Brooklyn” last night and thought it was a brilliant movie. So can you tell me why this film has done only $56 million and why trash like “Deadpool” makes three times that? John Ferguson, Dublin ...
Calmer winds forecast for salmon season opener
After three days of howling winds on the open ocean, the marine forecast shows much improved conditions for Saturday’s opening of the salmon season out of the Golden Gate. The ocean also cooled off 6 degrees in a week. From Point Reyes in Marin to Pigeon Point in San Mateo County and out ...
Microsoft dodged a bullet with failed $50 billion bid for Yahoo
Yahoo reportedly wants to sell its core business for $10 billion. If you think that’s way too much for the struggling tech giant, consider that Microsoft eight years ago unsuccessfully offered to buy it for nearly $50 billion . Today, Microsoft appears to be only tangentially interested ...
Fog Hill Market on SF’s Telegraph Hill on the brink
You know it’s a good day when you can spend a spring afternoon on Telegraph Hill sitting on a bench in front of the corner store reading the paper, talking to your neighborhood pals and watching the world pass by. But the world is moving faster these boom-town days, and the ...
Bills would spur more companies to repay workers’ student loans
Fidelity Investments announced this month that it has started offering student loan repayment as an employee benefit. PriceWaterhouseCoopers will do the same starting in July. A handful of smaller firms offer the same perk. But workers must pay income tax on the loan repayment, reducing the ...
SF can’t keep up with demand for children’s recreation...
A small line began to form at 1 a.m. on March 19 in San Francisco. It wasn’t for the latest iPhone release, but parents outside McLaren Lodge trying to secure summer camp spaces for their kids. The spots went up for grabs nine hours later at the lodge, 12 recreation centers and online, and ...
Taxing times — no matter how you made it
It was deep in the middle of the night. I was gritting my teeth and trying to power through the preparation of my tax returns. But I’d drunk so many cups of coffee and seen so many exclamation points from Turbo Tax’s cheerful software assistant that I started thinking about how other people ...
Meet Max Hollein, new director of Fine Arts Museums of San...
Max Hollein’s appointment as director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, announced Tuesday , is major news for art in the Bay Area. The job places him at the top, managerially and curatorially, of two of our most important museums: the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. Only ...
Robert Mapplethorpe, almost revealed, in HBO film
Robert Mapplethorpe was controversial when he was alive, and has remained so ever since, despite the fact that the art world has long acknowledged his stature, his original prints have fetched hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction and his work can be viewed on the walls of the nation’s ...
Trump, 24/7: Blame the media?
One of the more telling moments about a thoroughly dispiriting Republican presidential primary came when an ignored-feeling Ben Carson blurted out during the Houston debate in February: “Can somebody attack me, please?” No one in this race, and perhaps no candidate in U.S. history, ...
The traffic change that’s contributing to SF commute gridlock
If you think traffic in downtown San Francisco has actually gotten worse since the Super Bowl, you may well be right. The planners at the Municipal Transportation Agency have decided to ban left turns along Second Street, effectively cutting off access from the Financial District to one of ...
Bay Area sports: Nothing finer than a string of one-liners
Pounding the sports beat in tap shoes ... •It’s an odd state of affairs in the Bay Area when the soundest pitching arm belongs to Colin Kaepernick, the deadliest touchdown threat is Marreese Speights, the best catcher is Andrew Bogut ...
Stanlee Gatti honored at CCA gala
Event designer Stanlee Gatti didn’t create the gala design for the recent California College of the Arts Scholarship fundraiser, yet he still fussed over it. “Oh, I think this table should be moved a few inches away from this pole,” he fretted, as the sold-out crowd ...
SPECIAL REPORTS
The ultimate NorCal brewery map
New breweries seem to pop up every day. How's a beer drinker supposed to keep up? Start with this interactive map.
San Francisco’s strange detour from paradise to parody
#surrealSF: San Franciscans have long worried that the future is bleak. But these days, it’s hard not to look around and wonder if the nostalgic cynics might finally be right.
The Chronicle’s Top 125 Photos of the Year
It was an eventful year in the Bay Area. Chronicle photographers captured moments large and small of indescribable beauty, love, humor and loss in 2015. From wildfires, to fashion shoots, to the ...
'Star Wars' and S.F.: A force forever united
The Bay Area's ties to the "Star Wars" empire are deep and long-standing. But how, exactly, did we become the epicenter of the biggest movie series in the galaxy?
Top 100 Restaurants 2015: Find the Bay Area's best meals
MICHAEL BAUER: We have such a powerful restaurant scene that the list could swell and still exclude many excellent places. That’s what makes creating this guide so wonderful, yet so challenging.
